Dungeon World

What do you get when you mash up the flavor of old school basic D&D and the storytelling mechanics of Apocalypse World? You get Dungeon World, a game in which heroes plunge into dark forests, deep dungeons, and forgotten crypts in search of treasure and glory. The relationship between players and gamemasters is more collaborative than in most games, but the mechanics are simple.

There is no default setting for Dungeon World, in keeping with the game’s collaborative approach to world-building. Its straightforward rules and limited bookkeeping make it well-suited for one-off games or low-powered campaigns of short or moderate length.

Here’s how the publisher describes Dungeon World:

Dungeon World is a game of fantastic adventure. A game of magic, gods, demons, Good and Evil. Play and see what happens.

Three Things About Dungeon World

Old-School Feel with Simple Mechanics: All actions are resolved with two 6-sided (‘normal’) dice, and the gamemaster never rolls the dice.

Succeed at a Cost: A roll of 7-9 results in an action that succeeds, but with negative consequences. This provides rich narrative possibilities between unmitigated success and sheer failure.

Gamemaster Tools: In Dungeon World the gamemaster uses a set of narrative tools to set events in motion and ensure there is always a challenge for players, without having to resort to tables and charts.

Reviews

“I’m giving the game a top score on substance because it’s rich and works really well in the way it’s intended to work. It’s not for everybody, but if you can buy in to its assumptions and values, you’ll love how it plays.” — Civil Savage, RPG.net